PEORIA — Sometimes it can get a bit lost between an expanded Vietnamese joint down the road and the ever-popular One World Cafe just up the street, but for many years Great Wall has been reliably serving Chinese cuisine along west Main Street.

It’s been nearly 14 years since Dining Out last ventured to the narrow, deep restaurant across from Campustown.

Decor-wise, little seems to have changed in the restaurant in many years, with Oriental-themed art festooning the walls and tchtochkes of the type you’d find in many Chinese restaurants strewn about, though all things considered in limited amounts.

Service was brisk and energetic, all the more important as it seemed there was only one server on duty helping the entirety of the restaurant and handling takeout orders. As the joint filled, that did lead to some slight lags in service, but nothing substantial as she seemed to be everywhere at once.

We started off with appetizers, I with a bowl of egg drop soup ($1.70) and my guest with an order of the pan fried dumplings ($4.50). Neither was at all bad, but both were in their own way mostly forgettable. The latter arrived at the table resting on two lettuce leaves, six pre-prepared and perfectly shaped dumplings that could have originated from any kitchen. The soup, meanwhile, was thin, as though both broth and egg had been skimped upon.

Fortunately the entrees left much more of an impression.

My guest tried the broccoli beef ($6.95), which did not disappoint. The thin slices of beef were both tender and flavorful, and were accompanied by many, many large florets of broccoli that remained pleasantly crisp — definitely cooked, but a long way from getting mushy in the savory sauce.

I’d heard good reports before about the spicy scallops ($9.95), and I’m a great fan of the bivalves in almost any form that they come in. They’re my one real seafood weakness. Even here when they’re just the backbone of a dish that comes with a multiplicity of vegetables, the tender little chunks of seafood help mellow out the flavor of what would otherwise be a very spicy dish. It still brings the heat — flecks of hot red pepper and their seeds set throughout the dish ensure that but not overpoweringly so.

With a menu deep with Chinese favorites, there’s still plenty of choices to explore at Great Wall.

Chris Kaergard can be reached at 686-3135 or ckaergard@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKaergard